Ashton & Josh met on the evening of October 3rd, 2018 at a small music venue called The Ritz in Ybor City, Tampa. Playing that night were a couple of their favorite metal bands, Avatar & Trivium. Josh, living in Ocala at the time, had driven up to attend the show with a friend and Ashton, who was living in St. Pete at the time, decided to go alone.
Being the music lovers they are, Ashton & Josh had no idea that this one particular show would drastically change the course of their lives. As Ashton was exiting the audience after Avatar's performance, she quite literally bumped into her future husband. Josh dropped a line from the comedy classic The Office, and Ashton knew she should stick around a little longer!
Josh was working as a medical courier at the time, and Ashton was a full-time student working part-time at a local thrift shop in St. Pete. Despite living in two different cities an hour and a half apart, the couple made it work! Josh was able to route his deliveries so he could end some of his days in Tampa and spend a day or two with Ashton.
The early years of Ashton & Josh's story blossomed in St. Pete, which is why returning to this beloved city to get married is extra special for them. They have fond memories of attending many shows together, going to the beach, having coffee dates at many of the city's local shops, and having drinks at "the world's classiest dive bar", The Bends!
Under the guise of an "early birthday trip", Josh took Ashton to Salem, a city she had always dreamed of visiting, in November 2023. On their second day, Josh brought Ashton to a coastal park called the Salem Willows, where he asked her to marry him.
Nearly six years since their start, they now live together in Orlando with their two kitty cats, Belle & Moo. They still love to return to St. Pete whenever they need a quick getaway, and of course whenever their favorite bands are in town!